This invention is directed to a system and method for tracking and controlling goods as they move through the supply chain. More particularly, this invention is a supply chain event management system which generally includes four basic example components: (i) a handheld scanner application, (ii) a desktop application that transmits that data to a centralized server, (iii) a web service that parses the data and inserts it into a SQL database, and (iv) a web based reporting tool.
Supply chain management is a common problem for any organization that must transport goods over a wide geographic area. Successful businesses cannot afford to routinely lose goods or otherwise mismanage their supply chain. Unfortunately, until recently, many companies were forced to track goods by manually counting them as they left one point in the supply chain and were received at another. After counting the goods shipped and received, manually generated paper reports were prepared and mailed or faxed to management to identify shipment exceptions.
With the advent of computers, systems were created that partially automated the data collection and reporting process. Bar code scanners collected data at the consolidated shipment level, value added networks (VAN's) or file transfer protocol (FTP) processes were used to transmit electronic files between transportation companies and their shipping clients, company firewalls were modified to receive these electronic files, and, once this data was received, reports were created that could be distributed to decision makers.
While much better than paper and pencil, these systems were ultimately not accurate, efficient, or cost-effective. First, by tracking freight at only the shipment level, cartons and other individual freight items were invisible and could be lost in the supply chain. Second, transmitting electronic files using VAN's or an FTP process required companies to open their firewalls adding time, cost and increasing the possibility of security breaches. Finally, even when data made it through the company firewall, there was no secure method for a shipper and its transportation provider to view data using the same database or reports.
There is a need for a system which uses bar code scanning to track freight at the carton or item level at multiple points in the supply chain, a web service to directly insert data into a centralized data base, and internet based reports which can be accessed by multiple users via common web browsing tools.